Ten Hag has provided a health update on four Manchester United players ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday.
Manchester United has battled a number of injury worries throughout the season, and the situation has hardly abated thus far.
There are once again a number of fitness issues going into this Sunday’s most terrifying match of the season, which involves a return journey to the location of the 7-0 thumping from the previous season.
Erik ten Hag, however, provided an update on four players who many had feared would miss the game during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Erik ten Hag provides an update on fitness
Ten Hag provided an update prior to the game that is simultaneously unfavourable and positive, as reported by MEN.
Ten Hag provided confirmation as to who will miss Sunday’s match: “We don’t think Harry [Maguire] will be out for a long time, but he won’t be available for the upcoming games.”
When it came to fitness, he said, “[Anthony] Martial not [available].”
Tuesday’s match against Bayern Munich saw Maguire replaced due to what appeared to be a non-contact groyne injury.
Considering how important Maguire has been to United these past several weeks, this is a huge blow. Additionally, Rasmus Hojlund is under additional pressure up front as a result of Martial’s absence, which is a blow.
Not all was terrible, though, as Ten Hag confirmed that two more players will be able to play at Anfield.
Luke Shaw appears to be available for Sunday based on his training this morning. Marcus Rashford is going to return.
Shaw’s return is crucial to fortifying a defence that has recently shown such subpar play. This is a huge boost. In addition to the other choices, he is a contender to assume the captain’s armband in Bruno Fernandes’ absence.
Rashford’s comeback will be helpful since, should Alejandro Garnacho falter, he is a solid option to provide backup.
How the United defence might appear on Sunday
Due to numerous injuries to the defence this weekend, Raphael Varane most likely returns to the starting lineup.
Luke Shaw or Jonny Evans will likely be by his side.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot might start at right back, with the Portuguese player potentially moving to the left if Shaw is moved to center-half.
Regardless of perspective, this match will be extremely frightening in advance because of how many goals Liverpool has scored against United in recent years.